FAQS

If your ISF is not filed within 24 hours of loading the goods onto the vessel, your ISF is considered late, and must be filed immediately. The assessment of ISF penalties varies by the port of entry in which each case is reviewed by a customs officer.

After submission of your ISF Filing, you should receive the filing confirmation within 4-6 hours.

No, there is no separate charge for New Importer registration, we help input your new Importer identity at the same time we enter your information to file the ISF.

For Individuals, copy of your Drivers License/ or State ID is required. CBP also requires additional proof of Social Security number as this will be your identifier for the ISF Filing. Proof of SS#, the Importer may provide a document that correlates your name and address to the SS#, such as copy of your W2, Tax Return, or Social Security Card.

Yes, our ISF Filings included the ISF-D Bond with the filing. This will cover all types of ISF Filings which includes Late or Arrived Shipments.

Proof of SS# is required to prevent identifty theft of using another person's SS# which is not their own, and also for CBP to access any fines, penalties or damages to the correct party.

For ISF's that are already filed. Please contact us by phone or email with the changes needed. An ISF Filing Specialist will assist you in updating your ISF and is free for the first revision. Additional revisions after the first will be accessed at $50 per update

The Bill of Lading is not required to file the ISF as long as you have the ISF info sheet and Invoice. If you have the Bill of Lading please this would be useful to us to verify any info that is not clear on the ISF info sheet.

If your seller did not provide an ETD on the ISF info sheet, you may leave this blank on the Live ISF Form. With the AMS Bill of Lading numbers, we can query customs to add in for you in order for the ISF to go through.

HTS Code is defined as the Harmonized Tariff Schedule which is used by US Customs and the rest of the world to classify traded goods and to properly assign a tarrif or duty rate in which the Importer must pay to bring in goods from another country. HTS code in the U.S. contains 10 numerical digits.

If you do not have the HTS Code from your seller, you may use the HTS Code Finder in our website, or you may email, call or live chat with us to help find the code which belongs to your goods. You may also list the product description of your goods if unknown. We can help you determine after submission.

Importers can request customs to mitigate the ISF penalty if there is ample reason as to why the ISF was filed late to reduce the amount of fines. CBP will review via case by case basis. We will be able to assisst you in the mitigation process to reduce your penalty if you ever receive this notice.

For car imports via ocean vessel, the ISF Filing requirements will differ according to how the vehicle is shipped into the U.S. If the vehicle is shipped via RORO vessel, the ISF is required to be filed no later than 24 hours before arriving to the U.S. Port. For vehicles shipped via container, the requirement is 24 hours before loading of the vessel.

The ISF 5 Filing is required by U.S. Customs for any shipments that stop at the U.S. Port to unload cargo at any time during the transit before it goes to Canada or Mexico as the final destination. Both foreign and U.S. importers are required to file the ISF 5 to avoid penalties from CBP.

The Customs Power of Attorney is the authorization from you as the Importer which authorizes us to file on your behalf to CBP.

Yes, customs clearance service is available after your ISF is filed. Upon completion of your ISF Filing, clearance information and guidance will be provided on the ISF confirmation email you will receive.

No AMS Bill Match can be due to two reasons. One is that the carrier has not submitted their AMS Info to customs yet, that is why there is no bill match on the ISF. Normally if the carrier has not submitted AMS yet, it may be that your ISF was filed too early before the loading or departure date. The second reason why there is no AMS match would be that the bill of lading number entered is incorrect, this situation the importer will need to ask their shipper to confirm if the bill of lading numbers is correct in addition to the SCAC Codes.

Once your ISF is filed, our customs clearing agent will work with you personally to clear customs and to advise you where the pick up location is. Trucking services is also available which the clearing agent can provide you a quote for this service.